Constitutions of 1923 and
1963

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers was
not headed by the Prime Minister, but the King. Only during his
absence was the Premier the acting Chairman of the Council.

Until 1963, the King always appointed one of his relatives as
Prime Ministers. The King also had the power to dismiss or transfer
the Prime Minister.

This was changed, stating that the Head of the Afghan Government
was the Prime Minister, and that the government consisted of its
Ministers. It was the first time that the King did not play an
important role in the Government, leaving it to an elected
authority. However, it also stated that they cannot engage in any
other profession during their tenure of office.

The Constitution of 1963 also granted the Prime Minister the
power to summon the Electoral College in case of
the death of the King. The Prime Minister only answered to the Wolesi Jirga about the General
Policy of the Government, and individually for their
prescribed duties.

Saur Revolution
(1978-1992)

In April 1978, Mohammed Daoud Khan was killed
during a communist coup that started the Saur
Revolution. The Communist government revived the office of
Prime Minister that year, and it remained throughout the reign of
the Communist and post-Communist governments.

The President was in charge of the appointment of the Prime
Minister, who in turn appointed the Council of Ministers. The
Council's stated purpose was to formulate and implement domestic
and foreign policies, to formulate economic development plans and
state budgets, and to ensure public order.

Under the Constitution of 1987, the President was required to
appoint the Prime Minister in order to form the Government. The
Prime Minister had the power to dissolve the government. Several
Afghan Presidents during the Democratic Republic of
Afghanistan era were also appointed Prime Minister. With the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan, the Prime Minister was no longer in
charge of the government. The General Secretary of the PDPA or the
Director of the KHAD exercised
greater power.

The Islamic Republic
(1992-present)

After the collapse of Mohammad Najibullah's Presidency, a
transitional state was created. Thus, the office of Prime
Minister once again played an important role in the
history of the nation.

Also, the Constitution of 1990 established that only Afghan-born
citizens are eligible to hold the office, something that was not
specified in the previous documents.

There was constant friction between the President and the
Premier during this period. The State had collapsed and there was
not an effective central Government from 1992 until 1996. Thus, the
position became de facto ceremonial, with little power in
what was left of the Government.

The title was abolished when the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996 and proclaimed the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan. The Deputy Leader of the Taliban
was often known as the Prime Minister throughout its rule. With the
death of Rabbani in 2001, the Taliban decided not to revive the
office.

Until August 1997, the government which the Taliban had ousted,
which remained in rebellion until the end of the Taliban in 2001,
had a Prime Minister in the government, but the position was
abolished.

The current president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai was sometimes called the
prime minister by the international media during the first years of
his presidency.